Bibliography
Welcome to our interactive bibliography. Here you can explore publications relating to Nature-based Solutions and their potential to address societal challenges, including climate change adaptation & mitigation, disaster risk reduction, ecosystem health, food & water security, and human wellbeing & development. For papers and other outputs directly produced by the Nature-based Solutions Initiative please visit our outputs page.
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711 publications found
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Framework for studying the hydrological impact of climate change in an alley cropping system
Journal of Hydrology (2014). Original Research.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.05.065Abstract
Alley cropping is an agroforestry practice whereby crops are grown between hedgerows of trees planted at wide spacings. The local climate and the physiological adaptation mechanisms of the trees are key factors in the growth and survival of the trees and intercrops, because they directly affect the soil moisture distribution. In order to evaluate the long-term hydrological impact of climate change in an alley cropping system in eastern Canada, we developed a framework that combines local soil moisture data with local projections of climate change and a model of soil water movement, root uptake and evapotranspiration. Forty-five frequency domain reflectometers (FDR) along a transect perpendicular to the tree rows generated a two-year dataset that we used for the parameterization and evaluation of the model. An impact study with simulations based on local projections of three global and one regional climate simulation suggest that the soil becomes drier overall in the period between 2041 and 2070, while the number of critically wet periods with a length of one day increases slightly with respect to the reference period between 1967 and 1996. Hydrological simulations based on a fourth climate scenario however point toward wetter conditions. In all cases the changes are minor. Although our simulations indicate that the experimental alley cropping system will possibly suffer drier conditions in response to higher temperatures and increased evaporative demand, these conditions are not necessarily critical for vegetation during the snow-free season.
Ecosystem-based adaptationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationFood and water securityArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialLong term anthropogenic changes and ecosystem service consequences in the northern part of the complex Rhine-Meuse estuarine system
Ocean and Coastal Management (2014). Review.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.02.005Abstract
Around 0 AD, the Rhine-Meuse estuary in the southwest of the Netherlands was a typical coastal plain estuary. Drainage of peatland and land subsidence behind the dunes later caused the sea to penetrate into the land. Most of the peat was eroded, and by 1000 AD the so-called Delta area had turned into a landscape of large estuaries and intertidal zones. Rotterdam developed from a small fishing village on the banks of the tidal river “Nieuwe Maas” from the 14th century onwards into the largest seaport of Europe in 2013. The Rotterdam harbour area situated in the northern part of the Delta area includes the former Europoort harbour, and is nowadays known as Rijnmond. The hydrology of the area is controlled by the drainage regime of the sluices in the Haringvliet barrier that was constructed as part of the “Delta Works” project to protect the southwest of the Netherlands against storm surges. The sluices are opened at slack tide to discharge river water to the sea and are always closed at flood tide. As a baseline study for environmental and ecological reconstruction and development, we describe in detail the loss of intertidal soft sediment ecotopes due to land reclamation, harbour development and river training works (straightening of the navigational channel) in the tidal rivers, and the expansion of hard substrate ecotopes (quay walls, groynes, training walls, riprap, concrete, stones etc.) in the Rijnmond area in the 19th and 20th centuries. Within 135 years, more than 99% of the original 4775 ha of characteristic pristine soft sediment estuarine ecotopes have disappeared. In the same period, 338 ha of hard intertidal substrate zone was constructed. Such trends can also be observed in harbour areas elsewhere, and have ecological and environmental consequences for estuarine areas in particular. Restoration of soft substrate estuarine ecotopes can be achieved by opening the Haringvliet Sluices at both ebb and flood tide, which would restore large-scale estuarine dynamics to the northern part of the Rhine-Meuse estuarine system. This will have a highly favourable effect on many ecosystem services. The Dutch division of the Word Wild Life Fund has launched a new proposal for a safer and more attractive South-West Delta area. It comprises the reopening of the sea inlets such as the Haringvliet by removing the barriers, and building climateproof dikes in combination with natural wetlands. In case of storm surges, the hinterland could be protected with a new generation of barriers that do not hamper the free transport of sediment, tides and animals. Based on 30 ecosystem services or subservices, it was calculated that opening the Haringvliet inlet would lead to an increase in Total Economic Value (TEV) of at least 500 million Euro per year. The costs of removing old barriers and the construction of new ones was not included in the calculations.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionEcological restorationDisaster risk reductionEcosystem healthHuman well-being & developmentCoastlineDrought preparedness and drought mitigation in the developing world’s drylands
Weather and Climate Extremes (2014). Perspective.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2014.03.003Abstract
Drought is one of the major constraints affecting food security and livelihoods of more than two billion people that reside on dry areas which constitute 41% of the world’s land surface. Drought is defined as deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time resulting in water scarcity. Our best minds should be concentrated where the greatest challenges lie today – on discoveries and new solutions to cope with the challenges facing dry areas particularly drought and water scarcity. In addition to facing severe natural resource constraints caused by the lack of water in many of the developing world’s drylands, we also have to cope with rapid growth of the younger segment of the growing population, and high levels of poverty. Coping with drought and water scarcity are critical to address major development challenges in dry areas namely poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and social conflict. Drought is a climatic event that cannot be prevented, but interventions and preparedness to drought can help to: (i) be better prepared to cope with drought; (ii) develop more resilient ecosystems (iii) improve resilience to recover from drought; and (iv) mitigate the impacts of droughts. Preparedness strategies to drought include: (a) geographical shifts of agricultural systems; (b) climate-proofing rainfall-based systems; (c) making irrigated systems more efficient; (d) expanding the intermediate rainfed-irrigated systems. The paper presents successful research results and case studies applying some innovative techniques where clear impact is demonstrated to cope with drought and contribute to food security in dry areas. The CGIAR Consortium Research Program (CRP) on ‘Integrated and Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods in Dry Areas’ (in short, ‘Dryland Systems’), led by ICARDA, was launched in May 2013 with many partners and stakeholders from 40 countries. It addresses farming systems in dry areas, at a global level, involving 80 partner institutions. The Dryland Systems Program aims at coping with drought and water scarcity to enhance food security and reduce poverty in dry areas through an integrated agro-ecosystem approach. It will also deliver science-based solutions that can be adopted in regions that are not yet experiencing extreme shocks, but will be affected in the medium to long-term. The approach entails shifting the thinking away from the traditional focus on a small number of research components to take an integrated approach aiming to address agro-ecosystems challenges. Such an approach involves crops, livestock, rangeland, trees, soils, water and policies. It is one of the first global research for development efforts that brings ‘systems thinking’ to farming innovations leading to improved livelihoods in the developing world. The new technique uses modern innovation platforms to involve all stakeholders, adopting the value chain concept along a research-to-impact pathway for enhanced food security and improved livelihoods in dry areas.
Ecosystem-based adaptationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialFragmentation and Management of Ethiopian Moist Evergreen Forest Drive Compositional Shifts of Insect Communities Visiting Wild Arabica Coffee Flowers
Environmental Management (2014). Original Research.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0393-9Abstract
Coffea arabica is an indigenous understorey shrub of the moist evergreen Afromontane forest of SW Ethiopia. Coffee cultivation here occurs under different forest management intensities, ranging from almost no intervention in the ‘forest coffee’ system to far-reaching interventions that include the removal of competing shrubs and selective thinning of the upper canopy in the ‘semi-forest coffee’ system. We investigated whether increasing forest management intensity and fragmentation result in impacts upon potential coffee pollination services through examining shifts in insect communities that visit coffee flowers. Overall, we netted 2,976 insect individuals on C. arabica flowers, belonging to sixteen taxonomic groups, comprising 10 insect orders. Taxonomic richness of the flower-visiting insects significantly decreased and pollinator community changed with increasing forest management intensity and fragmentation. The relative abundance of honey bees significantly increased with increasing forest management intensity and fragmentation, likely resulting from the introduction of bee hives in the most intensively managed forests. The impoverishment of the insect communities through increased forest management intensity and fragmentation potentially decreases the resilience of the coffee production system as pollination increasingly relies on honey bees alone. This may negatively affect coffee productivity in the long term as global pollination services by managed honey bees are expected to decline under current climate change scenarios. Coffee agroforestry management practices should urgently integrate pollinator conservation measures.
Nature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationHuman well-being & developmentArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialCrop production under different rainfall and management conditions in agroforestry parkland systems in Burkina Faso: Observations and simulation with WaNuLCAS model
Agroforestry Systems (2014). Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-013-9651-8Abstract
Traditional agroforestry parkland systems in Burkina Faso are under threat due to human pressure and climate variability and change, requiring a better understanding for planning of adaptation. Field experiments were conducted in three climatic zones to assess Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (Sorghum) biomass, grain yield and harvest index in parklands under different rainfall pattern and compared to simulations of sorghum biomass and grain yield with the Water, Nutrient and Light Capture in Agroforestry Systems (WaNuLCAS) model for calibration and parametrisation. For planning adaptation, the model was then used to evaluate the effects of different management options under current and future climates on sorghum biomass and grain yield. Management options studied included tree densities, tree leaf pruning, mulching and changes in tree root patterns affecting hydraulic redistribution. The results revealed that sorghum biomass and grain yield was more negatively affected by Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth. (néré) compared to Vitellaria paradoxa C. F Gaertn (karité) and Adansonia digitata L. (baobab), the three main tree species of the agroforestry parkland system. Sorghum biomass and grain yield in different influence zones (sub-canopy, outside edge of canopy, open field) was affected by the amount of precipitation but also by tree canopy density, the latter depending itself on the ecological zone. The harvest index (grain as part of total biomass) was highest under the tree canopy and in the zone furthest from the tree, an effect that according to the model reflects relative absence of stress factors in the later part of the growing season. While simulating the effects of different management options under current and future climates still requires further empirical corroboration and model improvement, the options of tree canopy pruning to reduce shading while maintaining tree root functions probably is key to parkland adaptation to a changing climate.
Ecosystem-based adaptationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialConsidering evolutionary processes in adaptive forestry
Annals of Forest Science (2014). Methodological Article. Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13595-013-0272-1Abstract
Managing forests under climate change requires adaptation. The adaptive capacity of forest tree populations is huge but not limitless. Integrating evolutionary considerations into adaptive forestry practice will enhance the capacity of managed forests to respond to climate-driven changes. Focusing on natural regeneration systems, we propose a general framework that can be used in various and complex local situations by forest managers, in combination with their own expertise, to integrate evolutionary considerations into decision making for the emergence of an evolution-oriented forestry. We develop a simple process-based analytical grid, using few processes and parameters, to analyse the impact of forestry practice on the evolution and evolvability of tree populations. We review qualitative and, whenever possible, quantitative expectations on the intensity of evolutionary drivers in forest trees. Then, we review the effects of actual and potential forestry practice on the evolutionary processes. We illustrate the complexity of interactions in two study cases: the evolutionary consequences for forest trees of biotic interactions and of highly heterogeneous environment. Evolution-oriented forestry may contribute adapting forests to climate change. It requires combining short-term and long-term objectives. We propose future lines of research and experimentation.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationHuman well-being & developmentForestCommunity-based climate change adaptation strategies for integrated prawn-fish-rice farming in Bangladesh to promote social-ecological resilience
Reviews in Aquaculture, 6, 1, 20-35 (2014). Review.
10.1111/raq.12022Abstract
Farming freshwater prawns with fish in rice fields is widespread in the coastal region of southwest Bangladesh because of favourable resources and ecological conditions. This article provides an overview of an ecosystem-based approach to integrated prawn-fish-rice farming in southwest Bangladesh. The practice of prawn and fish farming in rice fields is a form of integrated aquaculture-agriculture, which provides a wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits. Integrated prawn-fish-rice farming plays an important role in the economy of Bangladesh, earning foreign exchange and increasing food production. However, this unique farming system in coastal Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change. We suggest that community-based adaptation strategies must be developed to cope with the challenges. We propose that integrated prawn-fish-rice farming could be relocated from the coastal region to less vulnerable inland areas, but caution that this will require appropriate adaptation strategies and an enabling institutional environment.
Community-based adaptationEcosystem-based adaptationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationFood and water securityArtificial Landscapes – AquaticCoastlineA global strategy for protecting vulnerable coastal populations
Science (2014). Policy Brief.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6202/1250Abstract
The 2014 Working Group II report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that low-lying coastal areas are increasingly exposed to risks from sea-level rise, flooding, and extreme storm events (1). Low-lying coasts of developing countries in particular face two types of vulnerability: (i) a lack of capacity to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters and (ii) declining protection for people and property as coastal habitats disappear. A science-based global strategy for protecting coastal populations should address both sources of vulnerability, through investments in short-run emergency response and long-term coastal adaptation.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionEcosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionCoastlineInvesting in nature: Developing ecosystem service markets for peatland restoration
Ecosystem Services (2014). Policy Brief.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041614000692Abstract
To meet the challenge of proactive ecosystem-based climate mitigation and adaptation, new sources of funding are needed. Peatlands provide the most efficient global store of terrestrial carbon. Degraded peatlands, however, contribute disproportionally to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with approximately 25% of all CO2 emissions from the land use sector, while restoration can be cost-effective. Peatland restoration therefore provides a new opportunity for investing in ecosystem-based mitigation through the development of carbon markets. Set in the international policy and carbon market context, this paper demonstrates the necessary scientific evidence and policy frameworks needed to develop ecosystem service markets for peatland restoration. Using the UK and NE Germany as case studies, we outline the climate change mitigation potential of peatlands and how changes in GHG emissions after restoration may be measured. We report on market demand research in carbon market investments that provide sponsors with quantification and officially certified recognition of the climate and other co-benefits. Building on this, we develop the necessary requirements for developing regional carbon markets to fund peatland restoration. While this paper focuses on the UK and German context, it draws on international experience, and is likely to be directly applicable across peatlands in Europe and North America.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationWetlandDesigning nature-based mitigation to promote multiple benefits
Carbon Management (2014). Review.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.4155/cmt.13.14?journalCode=tcmt20Abstract
By promoting the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, policymakers have a unique opportunity to mitigate climate change while providing social and environmental benefits. Here we highlight how nature-based mitigation strategies for multiple benefits can be supported by three key areas of scientific research, drawing upon examples of research by Conservation International and its partners. First, monitoring of ecosystems can quantify the magnitude of emissions released from conversion and degradation, and can inform prioritization and planning efforts. Second, understanding the synergies and tradeoffs between climate change mitigation and other ecosystem benefits can aid in designing policy instruments, selecting management techniques and geographically targeting actions. And third, research on the design of policies, incentives and practices can enhance mitigation initiatives’ provision of both climate and noncarbon benefits. Achieving multiple benefits can in turn increase the sustainability of and investment in nature-based mitigation.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change mitigationAdaptation strategies to climatic variability: A case study of small-scale farmers in rural Mexico
Land Use Policy (2014). Original Research.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837713002780Abstract
Climate change is predicted to have major consequences for small-scale farmers in the developing rural areas of the world. Rural areas, nonetheless, harbor opportunities to mitigate global climate changes. Identification of innovative adaptation strategies used by small-scale farmers, therefore, is crucial in order to understand the extent of their implications. This paper identifies the relationships between livelihood units and landscapes that they depend upon, in a small-scale farm community. It examines their experiences of increasing climatic variability, and how the different groups in the community are adapting to it. The study was conducted in a typical rural ejido community on the Pacific coast of Mexico (Ejido Ticuiz), where a detailed socio-cultural profile was obtained by means of semi-structured interviews. In the study area we encountered a range of individual and community-based adaptation strategies, built on farmers’ recognition of the different types of landscapes which supply goods and benefits. Small-scale farmers have used their landscape diversity to build adaptation strategies to guarantee the supply of goods and benefits to cope with uncertain of climate events. Households rather than individuals or the community as an institution were depicted as the core socio-cultural group for better understanding of patterns, behavior and aspirations related to climate change adaptation at local level. The adaptation capacities of rural communities could be significantly strengthened if political, financial and institutional support is targeted at households rather than at individuals or the community level only.
Community-based adaptationClimate change adaptationFood and water securityArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialCoastlineForestModeling the links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human wellbeing in the context of climate change: Results from an econometric analysis of the European forest ecosystems
Ecological Economics (2014). Original Research.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800913003339Abstract
Our estimation results confirm the role of biodiversity as a nature-based policy solution for climate change mitigation, shedding light on the policy actions that generate co-benefits by enhancing ecosystems’ capacity to mitigate climate change impacts, while conserving biodiversity and sustaining the flows of EGS for human livelihoods. Especially, nature-based mitigation policies are more cost-effective and better at coping with the ethic and inequality issues associated with distributional impacts of the policy actions, compared to the pure technical solutions to improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions. However, the strength of biodiversity as a nature-based policy option for climate change mitigation depends on both the nature of the EGS and the geographical area under consideration. Our estimation results confirm the role of biodiversity as a nature-based policy solution for climate change mitigation, shedding light on the policy actions that generate co-benefits by enhancing ecosystems’ capacity to mitigate climate change impacts, while conserving biodiversity and sustaining the flows of EGS for human livelihoods. Especially, nature-based mitigation policies are more cost-effective and better at coping with the ethic and inequality issues associated with distributional impacts of the policy actions, compared to the pure technical solutions to improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions. However, the strength of biodiversity as a nature-based policy option for climate change mitigation depends on both the nature of the EGS and the geographical area under consideration.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change mitigationForestEffectiveness of ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation: review of the evidence base
Climate and Development (2014). Systematic Review.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17565529.2013.867247Abstract
Ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation (EbA) integrate the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into an overall strategy for helping people adapt to climate change. To date, however, insight into these approaches has often been based on anecdotal case studies of local peoples’ use of ecosystems. A systematic map of ecosystem-based adaptation-relevant peer-reviewed literature, and a sample of grey literature, was undertaken to (1) give a methodical overview of the state of the evidence-base on ecosystem-based adaptation effectiveness and (2) identify key knowledge gaps. A framework was developed with stakeholders to assess the evidence-base for ecosystem-based adaptation effectiveness. The literature reviewed showed that much can be learnt about ecosystem-based adaptation from articles which considered climatic variability and climate extremes. Measures of the effectiveness of ecosystem-based adaptation-relevant interventions recorded in the articles showed positive results, although discussion of thresholds, limits and timescales related to these interventions was limited. Social, environmental and economic benefits of ecosystem-based adaptation interventions were in evidence in most articles, and though costs were discussed, this was limited in extent. It is concluded that the literature on ecosystem-based adaptation-relevant interventions addressing climatic variability, change, and linked extremes and natural hazards, contains some information that will support making the case for ecosystem-based adaptation, but the evidence-base has a number of gaps that should be addressed.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationThe effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation
Nature Communications (2014). Meta-Analysis.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms4794Abstract
The world’s coastal zones are experiencing rapid development and an increase in storms and flooding. These hazards put coastal communities at heightened risk, which may increase with habitat loss. Here we analyse globally the role and cost effectiveness of coral reefs in risk reduction. Meta-analyses reveal that coral reefs provide substantial protection against natural hazards by reducing wave energy by an average of 97%. Reef crests alone dissipate most of this energy (86%). There are 100 million or more people who may receive risk reduction benefits from reefs or bear hazard mitigation and adaptation costs if reefs are degraded. We show that coral reefs can provide comparable wave attenuation benefits to artificial defences such as breakwaters, and reef defences can be enhanced cost effectively. Reefs face growing threats yet there is opportunity to guide adaptation and hazard mitigation investments towards reef restoration to strengthen this first line of coastal defence.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionMarineHow is community-based adaptation ‘scaled up’ in environmental risk assessment? Lessons from ecosystem-based adaptation
Taylor and Francis Group (2014). Book (chapter).
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/59269Abstract
As climate change adaptation rises up the international policy agenda, matched by increasing funds and frameworks for action, there are mounting questions over how to ensure the needs of vulnerable people on the ground are met. Community-based adaptation (CBA) is one growing proposal that argues for tailored support at the local level to enable vulnerable people to identify and implement appropriate community-based responses to climate change themselves. Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change: Scaling it up explores the challenges for meeting the scale of the adaptation challenge through CBA. It asks the fundamental questions: How can we draw replicable lessons to move from place-based projects towards more programmatic adaptation planning? How does CBA fit with larger scale adaptation policy and programmes? How are CBA interventions situated within the institutions that enable or undermine adaptive capacity? Combining the research and experience of prominent adaptation and development theorists and practitioners, this book presents cutting edge knowledge that moves the debate on CBA forward towards effective, appropriate, and ‘scaled-up’ adaptive action.
Community-based adaptationEcosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationHuman well-being & developmentDesigning Marine Reserves for Fisheries Management, Biodiversity Conservation, and Climate Change Adaptation
Coastal Management (2014). Review.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08920753.2014.877763Abstract
Overfishing and habitat destruction due to local and global threats are undermining fisheries, biodiversity, and the long-term sustainability of tropical marine ecosystems worldwide, including in the Coral Triangle. Well-designed and effectively managed marine reserve networks can reduce local threats, and contribute to achieving multiple objectives regarding fisheries management, biodiversity conservation and adaptation to changes in climate and ocean chemistry. Previous studies provided advice regarding ecological guidelines for designing marine reserves to achieve one or two of these objectives. While there are many similarities in these guidelines, there are key differences that provide conflicting advice. Thus, there is a need to provide integrated guidelines for practitioners who wish to design marine reserves to achieve all three objectives simultaneously. Scientific advances regarding fish connectivity and recovery rates, and climate and ocean change vulnerability, also necessitate refining advice for marine reserve design. Here we review ecological considerations for marine reserve design, and provide guidelines to achieve all three objectives simultaneously regarding: habitat representation; risk spreading; protecting critical, special and unique areas; reserve size, spacing, location, and duration; protecting climate resilient areas; and minimizing and avoiding threats. In addition to applying ecological guidelines, reserves must be designed to address social and governance considerations, and be integrated within broader fisheries and coastal management regimes.
Area-based approachesClimate change adaptationEcosystem healthFood and water securityMarine